GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — An ArtPrize entry aims to give the community a personal understanding of “the invisible homeless”: young people.
A Mile in Our Sneakers is a project from Covenant House Michigan, which has two campuses — one in Grand Rapids, the other in Detroit — that serve people ages 18 to 24 who are experiencing homelessness.
“We want to eradicate homelessness as we know it today,” Stacy Datena, senior philanthropy and engagement manager with Covenant House, told News 8. “There should be not one individual … sleeping outside or not in a safe space.”
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She said young people are sometimes referred to as “the invisible homeless.”
“You know, carrying a backpack on the street — it looks very similar to someone going to school,” Datena said. “I think people would be surprised to know the number of youth that are currently struggling in our community.”
Covenant House Michigan has two floors on its Grand Rapids campus (one for men, one for women) that can house 14 people each. But the waiting lists are upward of 100, she said.